Fall Gardening

Fall is a busy time in the garden. Now is the perfect time to start cleaning, planning and planting.

Start by cleaning and weeding around your plants. After that it is the perfect time to assess what worked and what challenged you during this past growing season. Step back and take a close look at your garden's spring and summer performance. Consider moving poor performers to a better location, dividing aggressive growers and possibly eliminating overly invasive plants from your design.

Now that you have cleaned up it is easier to assess what plants you may want to add to your garden. You may need additional color during "down times", when you have a gap in perennial flower color. Many gardens start to fade in August, consider adding additional tall phlox, anemone, monkshood and long blooming nepeta and Russian sage.

Want a little help when designing your garden, talk to our garden designer about a free consultation.

Color for Autumn
There are many perennials and shrubs that will accent your garden with beautiful fall color. Here are a few:

Windflower (Anemone) is good in full sun to part shade and blooms from late summer to middle of fall. Anemone bloom in pinks and white and is an easy care perennial.
Montauk daisy (Nipponanthemum) prefers full sun to part shade and has pretty white bloom. Bloom time is late summer to early fall. Not only are Montauk daisies easy to care for, but they attract butterflies.
Pink turtleheads (Chelone) grow best in full to part sun. They prefer moist soil and will grow to a height of 36".
Asters like full to part sun, they have purple flowers and bloom late summer to early fall.

Perennial Mums come in many varieties. Here are a few.
Sheffield Salmon pink blooms with excellent hardiness.
Bolero Golden daisy flowers.
Cambodian Queen Large pink flowers with yellow center.

Shrubs with fall color:
Ekianthus has brilliant fall color in shades of scarlet. Plant in full sun.
Blueberry will show a mix of both red and orange leaves.
Clethra (also known as Summersweet) will turn a yellow-green when autumn sets in.
Burning Bush has a fiery red fall color.
Fothergilla showy leaves with shades of yellow, orange and scarlet.